Post written by: Matt Nuesell

This semester, 90 teams and almost 1000 students participated in one of the longest standing traditions at Cortland: intramural broomball. While our campus may not have some of the same age-old traditions that larger schools have, it does have a healthy history of this not-so-well-known sport. The late-night games, the bitter cold ice arena, the bumps, bruises, acrobatic wipeouts and the lingering question that inevitably follows the morning after your game: why did I sign up for this?!

Why? Because being a part of an intramural broomball team at Cortland is in essence being a part of our campus’s history. Because it’s fun, and it’s one of the few traditions that we have that a large majority of our population participates in willingly and with enthusiasm. And because playing broomball brings with it a feeling of connectedness to SUNY Cortland students who have gone before us. Ask any alumni you meet, or any faculty/staff member who is an alumnus of the college what they remember about playing sports during their time here, and they’re almost guaranteed to share their memories of nights spent playing broomball at 2:00am.

So if you weren’t one of the masses to have played this season, make sure you put it on your calendar for 2010. If you don’t play at least once in your time here, you’re sure to regret it, and you’ll be missing out on being a part of one of the coolest traditions on campus.

Midnight Breakfast!

A SUNY Cortland tradition…

This campus service program provides an opportunity for faculty and staff to work together to serve a hot breakfast for students during the late hours of study days to help get them energized for the exams and projects ahead of them! This program connects our students with our faculty and staff on a different level, in a different setting, and is enjoyed by all.

When: Friday, December 5th, 2009 from 10pm until 12 midnight

Where: Corey Union Function Room

Why the new location?: Neubig is closed for renovations

Cost: $1.00 cash donation only

Proceeds benefit the Cortland County chapter of the American Red Cross

Event sponsors include: Student Government Association, Student Acitivities Board, Vice President for Student Affairs, Institutional Advancement, Auxilliary Services Corporation, Residential Services

The SUNY Cortland Community Bike Project (with the help and support of student and faculty volunteers) takes donated bikes, fixes them up, and places them out on campus for any campus community member to use to get around campus. During daylight hours, Monday-Friday, students and faculty can ride a yellow bike to any on-campus destination (i.e. their next class or residence hall); returning the yellow bike for the next campus member to use by leaving it at one of the 14 yellow community bike racks placed throughout campus.  The purpose of the Community Bike Project is to create a shared spirit of community on our college campus by promoting a green and environmentally friendly atmosphere while also encouraging students and faculty to cooperatively utilize and responsibly take care of OUR shared property – the yellow bikes. As a result of one’s involvement with the Community Bike Project, whether it is riding a bike, volunteering with the project or donating a bike, both students and faculty have an opportunity to positively contribute to the overall health and wellness of the SUNY Cortland campus community.

Post written by: Craig Dillaman

Ah, spring break, a time for students to relax and unwind; a chance to possibly go somewhere tropical or, at the very least, warm. This is the time of year when students are eager to experience something new and exciting. This did happen with a group of approximately 40 students this past break. You see, these students decided that instead of having the “traditional spring break” in Florida, Cancun, or another tropical destination they were going to go on an “alternative spring break” with the Habitat for Humanity Organization.

The alternative spring break experience is unique because it offers a chance for students with no prior building experience a chance to learn and appreciate what it takes to build a house. These students worked in various stages of residential construction while helping families establish a real (possibly first) home. Some tasks completed by the groups this year included framing, roofing, putting siding up on a house and some general landscaping. The Habitat organization has at least one full-time construction manager onsite teaching the students these tasks and making sure that they complete them successfully.

The SUNY Cortland Habitat for Humanity Club visited three sites in North Carolina this year. These were in the Aberdeen, Concord and Newland communities. The students left on Friday afternoon, March 7th, and traveled to Arlington, VA. On Saturday they got to go into Washington DC to do some site seeing. On Sunday morning the groups left for their respective sites and started work on Monday morning. The groups returned to Arlington the following Friday evening and arrived back in Cortland on Saturday, March 15th, 2008.

A lot can be said for the students who participated on this trip. The first is their commitment to serving others. One comment made during the trip this year was, “I never knew community service could be so much fun.” Another interesting observation was how the students wanted to spend their time in Washington DC. Of all the monuments, museums, and tourist locations in the greater DC area I found the participants going to some deep, thought- provoking places. These would be the Arlington National Cemetery and the National Holocaust Museum. To say that they learned something that day would be an understatement. One could tell that visiting these sites left a profound impression on them, one that will hopefully stay with them in the future.

All in all the respective trips were successful. New friends were made, a new beginning for a family was established, and a lot was learned and shared with each other. A challenge I gave my students when leaving the work site that last day was to reflect on what they learned that week about themselves and working with others and bring it back to campus. Some of these students may be in your classes, in a club that you belong to, or someone that lives in your hall. If you are interested in learning more about their experience strike up a conversation with them, I’m sure they would be happy to talk about their experience and let you know how you can get involved in the future.

Post written by: Nan Pasquarello

On April 16, 2007, tragedy struck the Virginia Tech community. One of the ways that VT is fostering healing is in promotion of their VT Engage Project, with its mission to encourage everyone, everywhere to do volunteer work as a way to give back to the community. In the spirit of the motto, “Remember, Serve, Learn,” Virginia Tech students, faculty, and staff are being asked to perform at least 10 hours of service before the end of the spring semester. SUNY Cortland is joining the effort to give back to the community with a goal of 10 hours of service each from 10 hundred people for a total of 10,000 hours.

Record of service forms are available in the Sociology/Anthropology Dept. and in the Judicial Affairs Office. Completed forms can be submitted to either department, by April 30, 2008. For more information, contact program coordinator, Kathy Gallagher at gallagherk@cortland.edu.

Post written by: Sandra Wohlleber 

March 1st — Court House Park — 10 am to 4 pm

Chill-A-Bration is a great example of how people can come together to achieve a common goal. The 40 Below group had an idea and pitched it to Lloyd Purdy of the Downtown Partnership. Lloyd in turn pitched it to both the Chamber of Commerce and a Leadership Cortland group looking for a project. And thus began an amazing collaborative project with far-reaching implications.

The event will have a terrain park for snowboarders and skiers, an ice rink, snow dogs and sled races, a chili cook-off, an assortment of family games, raffle prizes, concessions to benefit a senior class trip, the launching of a new Cortland beer, etc. And yes, many events will take place even if there is little natural snow.

To actualize this community friendly event, the following groups and offices have each played a significant role: SUNY Cortland, Albany International, Greek Peak, Limehollow Nature Center, OCM BOCES, Builder’s Best, Leadership Cortland, Downtown Partnership Promotions Committee, City of Cortland Mayor’s Office, City of Cortland Fire Department, City of Cortland Common Council, City of Cortland DPW, Cortland County Buildings and Grounds Committee, Cortland Regional Sports Council, Penn Sled Dog Club, Hopko Design, and Sheridan Jewelry just to name a few. And a special thank you to Lloyd Purdy for coordinating all elements of this event.

Please join us this coming weekend and see what can can happen when many minds come together with a common goal. This may be the first ever Chill-A-Bration but we sure hope that this will become an annual event that will continue on for many years. We also hope that it will inspire others to realize that all it takes is one person with one idea and the possibilities are endless!

Post written by: Sandra Wohlleber 

The Student Affairs Faculty Connection Award is a newly created award designed to recognize a faculty member for establishing and maintaining significant connections with students outside of the classroom. Nominees for this year’s award must be drawn from SUNY Cortland individuals serving in full-time teaching positions during the 2007 – 2008 academic year. This is an annual award that will be presented at the Faculty and Professional Staff Awards Luncheon on May 7, 2008.

The criteria for selection include:
Providing a positive impact on students outside of the classroom . . .
Establishing and/or maintaining opportunities for student involvement outside of the
classroom . . .
Demonstrating that they have gone “the extra mile” in order to serve students.

The Division of Student Affairs Connections Committee is currently accepting nominations for this award. Nominations may be submitted electronically or in hard copy. If you have any questions or would like a paper copy of the nomination packet mailed to you, please contact Awards Committee Chair, Sandra Wohlleber at x5769 or wohllebers@cortland.edu. All nominations must be received by February 29, 2008.

Attachments
Student Affairs Faculty Connection Award
Student Affairs Faculty Award Nomination Form

Post written by: Nan Pasquarello

Everywhere I look this semester, I see SUNY Cortland students, faculty and staff engaging in meaningful activities that connect them to the campus and surrounding community. Let me list just a select few that come to mind from the last month or so:

- packed houses at Thoroughly Modern Millie, and outstanding musical theatre performances by our students
- spirited fans and talented student athletes at the home basketball and hockey games (men’s and women’s)
- campus-wide discussions on service learning and community service
- service projects internationally, like the Belize Zoo Project,
- holiday food and gift drives by various student organizations, divisions at the college, and student athletes
- Midnight Breakfast fun – the SUNY Cortland end-of-semester tradition where faculty, staff, and administrators serve a late-night breakfast to our students as they prepare for finals
- hundreds of education majors doing volunteer hours in the local schools
- student leaders volunteering to serve on boards of all kinds, including the judicial review boards
- environmental sustainability efforts on campus
- a plethora of activities and lectures and coffee-houses – too numerous for any one person to get to everything.

Looking at this limited list of items instills in me a great sense of pride in our community. I invite readers of this Connectivities blog to subscribe and submit posts on topics that highlight the positive connections that abound at SUNY Cortland.

Post written by: Nan Pasquarello

Last evening hundreds of SUNY Cortland students (and several faculty and staff members) participated in the third annual Relay for Life held on campus. It was a wonderful event raising more than $55,000 for the American Cancer Society!

Without a doubt, this annual event, fast becoming a SUNY Cortland tradition, is a wonderful way to connect in a positive way with the campus and extended community. The event runs from 7 p.m. – 7 a.m., and in addition to raising money for cancer research, it brings together students, faculty, and staff, to celebrate and honor lives, in some cases grieve, and to pay tribute to survivors in our community and extended communities. Read more